Alexandra's Playground Now A Reality At Butler Beach In Bayville

by Patricia A. Miller

There wasn’t much of the Butler Beach playground left after Superstorm Sandy swamped Bayville on Oct. 29, 2012.

But things have changed, more than two and a half years after the devastating storm. Thanks to the nonprofit Alexandra’s Playground and the many volunteers who came to the beach last Saturday, there’s a brand-new playground.

Co-founders Michael and Andrea Vitale and their four young boys were there. They worked all day, side by side with the volunteers, Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. and Township Councilman James J. Byrnes.

Alexandra’s Playground was founded to commemorate the life of the couple’s young daughter Alexandra, who died in a sailing school accident in 2008.

“Recognizing the void left by all the ways in which Alex would have impacted the World, my wife Andrea and I founded Alexandra’s Playground,” Michael Vitale said on the group’s website. ”Embracing Alex’s spirit of play, we chose to focus our efforts to support opportunities for safe, active play throughout childhood. Unfortunately, opportunities for active play are increasingly threatened in our society. We seek to change this by building playgrounds in areas of need, supporting programs that encourage safe active play, and raising awareness about these issues.”

A southeast wind blew off Barnegat Bay as volunteers poured concrete, pounded stakes and tried to hurry before the rain hit last Saturday.

“A community came together,” Amato said at the June 22 Township Council meeting. ”We all know how devastated the Glen Cove area was during Superstorm Sandy.”

The price tag for the new free playground and equipment was around $70,000, the mayor said.

“It was a great experience,” Amato said. “It’s a very valuable playground. We got a $70,000 playground essentially for free. We estimate about 100 volunteers showed up.”

The rain did come eventually late Saturday afternoon, so the finishing touches were completed earlier this week, the mayor said.